KUALA LUMPUR: In one of his statement’s from the Opposition bench in the Dewan Rakyat, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has called out the government for its “hypocrisy”. "Standing Orders 36(6) said no member shall impute improper motives to any other members. We are not casting improper motives on an MP but on the entire government,” said Syed Saddiq on Tuesday (Sept 12). Ramli then reminded Syed Saddiq not to waste his time adding that “99%” of the issues raised by the Opposition MPs who spoke before him were related to the same matter. Ramli, however, granted Syed Saddiq another 30 seconds to finish his statement before proceeding with the House’s order of the business of the day which was the debate on the 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review.

KUALA LUMPUR: The possibility of reviving the Goods and Services Tax (GST) remains open, says Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli. He said that although current plans are focused on the introduction of the capital gains tax next year, other forms of taxation will also be considered. “One of the strategies to widen our revenue base is our focus on developing and rolling out the capital gains tax in 2024. Rafizi was responding to a question on whether the government plans to reintroduce the GST under the 12th Malaysia Plan. His suggestion was supported by several economists who agreed that the GST should only be revived if there are clearer mechanisms.

KUALA LUMPUR: Reviving the goods and services tax (GST) still remains an option, says Rafizi Ramli. Although the current plan is to introduce capital gains tax next year, the Economy Minister said that other forms of taxes would also be considered. "One of the strategies to widen our revenue base is to develop and roll out capital gains tax in 2024 and the government will stick to that strategy. Among the measures that would be taken were increasing the tax base, diversifying the tax revenue stream and managing the tax system through technology. This also included introducing a capital gains tax next year.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received a courtesy visit from superstar Rajnikanth at his office in Putrajaya. In a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 11), Anwar said he met the Indian actor, who is not only famous in Asia but also worldwide. The Prime Minister also said he was praying for Rajnikanth's continued excellence in his field and films. In the comments section, many were excited by the post, with references made to Rajnikanth's blockbuster film Sivaji: The Boss and others saying it was the "meeting of two legends". Anwar is also known to quote lines from Rajnikanth's films, especially Sivaji: The Boss during his campaign rallies.

“Malaysians are so ‘generous’ in wasting food,” said Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association vice-president C. Krishnan. But seeing them not finishing their meals is disheartening,” he said, adding that restaurant owners were conflicted over this. It takes about 20 minutes to cook rice, so they don’t prepare too much rice to avoid wastage,” said Wong. The price of imported white rice went up by 36% to RM3,200 per metric tonne as announced by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) on Sept 1. On July 20, India stopped its non-basmati white rice exports to stabilise prices and ensure availability within the country.

IT’S so refreshing to see a Malaysian movie that’s prepared to tackle the issue of our racial and religious differences, since we have a beautifully plural society and nation. The timing of the movie is especially apt ahead of Malaysia Day next week. The movie, Adoiii Jiwaku, revolves around three colleagues working in a hotel. Ayis, Malesh and Sia are often at loggerheads plagued by cultural differences, or rather, prejudices and ignorance.

JOHOR BARU: A 57-year-old woman was injured after her vehicle was crushed by a falling tree at Jalan Pertahanan, here, while she was on her way home after casting her vote for the Pulai parliamentary seat. Larkin Fire and Rescue Department operation commander Mohd Shah Rizal Abdul Rahman said that the department received the distress call regarding the incident at 3.02pm on Saturday (Sept 9). "The incident occurred at Jalan Pertahanan in Taman Desa Rahmat. "A total of 10 personnel were deployed to the location to help with the rescue operation," he said in a statement. "The victim was successfully removed from her car and was brought to Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) to be treated," he said, adding that the tree was cut using two chainsaws.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government should focus on the affordability of fragrant rice and not just control the price of locally-produced rice, says state Warisan women’s leader Juriah Uda. She said that other types of rice like fragrant rice were commonly consumed by the elderly and also children. “The main type of rice purchased and consumed is fragrant rice,” she said. For many, she said, fragrant rice is not a luxury but a necessity and mixed families from the B40 or lower-income group will not be purchasing a packet of 10kg fragrant rice a month but usually between 20kg and 30kg. “Mixing fragrant rice with local white rice will quickly become a trend, thus we urge the state government to not only prioritise our local white rice but also the supply and affordability of fragrant rice,” Juriah said.

She said there was an acute need for more organ donors. According to Dr Zaliha, there are 10,747 patients on the transplant waiting list compared to 845 deceased organ donors. She said the first organ transplant operation took place in 1975 involving a kidney transplant between siblings. Dr Zaliha also announced that the Organ Donation Awareness Week would become an annual event and this year’s theme was ‘Organ Donation: The Meaning of a Life’. “Organ donation can give the meaning of life to end-organ failure patients who need transplantation and it also brings meaning to the donors and their families that they gave hope to those in need,” she said.

PETALING JAYA: The results of applications to study in public universities for the 2023/2024 academic session are out on Thursday (Sept 7). The Higher Education Ministry said this is for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or equivalent leavers. “Offer letters will be issued by the public university to successful applicants from Sept 8 after the applicant has confirmed acceptance within the given timeframe,” it said in a statement today (Sept 7). “Based on the principle of meritocracy, all qualified applicants with the highest merit scores regardless of race, religion, state, standard of living and place of residence are given the opportunity to study at public universities,” it added. Only applicants who failed to receive an offer letter can submit their appeal through UPUOnline via upu.mohe.gov.my within 10 days, starting from Sept 7 until Sept 16.

PETALING JAYA: The clear details and goals revealed under the second phase of the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) has further affirmed that Malaysia’s power sector is on the right track of sustainability and growth. Citing emerging opportunities from the blueprint, analysts are optimistic that utility companies in the country will be able to expand and enhance their appeal to investors. It also outlined key investments of some RM1.3 trillion required for the energy transition, along with financing and policy initiatives. “Apart from the widely mentioned key targets of 70% RE installed capacity, coal free by 2050, we saw targets involving CCUS, hydrogen and bioenergy. It added that Reservoir Link Energy Bhd , a sub-contractor and mounting structure provider, would also benefit from higher job flows given the aggressive expansion in domestic RE capacity.

However, is it true that the song was originally the Perak state anthem? VERDICT:TRUEEach state had their own anthem at the time Malaya gained independence but there was no national anthem. In the end, Tunku Abdul Rahman suggested using the Perak state anthem as a basis for the new national anthem. The tune of the Perak state anthem is very similar to Terang Bulan, a popular love song at the time, though it is said that the melody existed even before Terang Bulan. As such, Tunku Abdul Rahman and the selection committee felt the tune had the unique "traditional flavour" they were looking for in a national anthem.

HLIB Research expects YTL Power to benefit from the recent full commissioning of the Attarat Power facility in Jordan through maintenance income, shareholder interest income and share associate earnings. RHB Research, meanwhile, stated YTL Power’s full-year contributions from its 45%-owned shale oil plant in Jordan will lead its joint venture and associate profit to be stronger for the consequent year. YTL Power is also exploring more land for the development of large-scale solar as well as waste-to-energy facilities. HLIB Research said YTL Power’s telecommunications services, Yes, will continue to improve with 5G offerings and from ongoing project contributions. YTL Power declared a second interim dividend of 3.5 sen per share, bringing the total dividend for FY23 to six sen per share.

IT’S almost certain that the Prime Minister needs to make some changes to the Cabinet line-up. The only question is, will Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim merely fill up a vacancy, move ministers around or even replace one or two?

“The people are tired, I am tired of hearing of it. Watch your manners, more so when you are visiting someone else’s state or home,” said Sultan Sharafuddin. We have to move forward and bring change to the way we think and practise politics,” the Ruler added. Since the polls was over, Sultan Sharafuddin called on everyone to re-establish ties regardless of religion, race or political affiliation. “Use social media platforms for positive things that can contribute to unity instead of spreading slander and hate which can create division,” said Sultan Sharafuddin.